Senior second baseman Josh Vidales was selected by the Oakland Athletics in the 2016 Major League Baseball Draft | Justin Tijerina/The Cougar
Three members of the baseball team got closer to their big league dreams over the weekend as they were selected in the 2016 MLB Draft.
Cleveland Indians took junior right-handed pitcher Andrew Lantrip in the eighth round with the 242nd pick, the Houston Astros selected junior closer Nick Hernandez with the 247th pick and senior second baseman Josh Vidales was picked up in the 28th round by Oakland Athletics with the 832nd pick.
In 2015, Lantrip led the team with 115 strikeouts, which was the seventh highest mark in Cougar history for a single season.
This season, Lantrip went 6-6 with a 2.60 ERA for the Cougars. The junior showed great control all season by striking out 84 batters and walking just six.
Lantrip was on the Collegiate Baseball’s Preseason All-American list prior to the 2016 season. He went 21-9 in his career as a Cougar.
Hernandez, a Missouri City native, transferred to UH last year after attending Alvin Community College for his freshman and sophomore seasons. In 2016, Hernandez was an important part of the Cougars pitching staff, which was among the best in the NCAA.
Hernandez had a 3-0 record with 11 saves and 67 strikeouts during the 2016 campaign.
Vidales started all four seasons for the Cougars and hit .275 over his college career. The senior accumulated 230 hits at Houston and became the team’s all-time leader in career walks in 2016 with 133.
With three players drafted, 2016 marks the 15th consecutive year in which UH has had at least one player selected in the MLB draft.
Houston now has 147 players drafted into the MLB total, 24 of which have come under Head Coach Todd Whitting.
